Improvement in breech-loadsng fire-arms



D. F. MELLEN.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Oct. 4, 1864 b a X .Y. @Ex A \& Q. v v

Witnesm M Inventor g m wm N. PETERS, PHOTLLLITHDGRAPHER, WASH Prion.

ATENT IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADSNG FlRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. $4,545, dated October4,1864.

T0 at whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, DUSTIN F. MELLEN, of Manchester, in the county ofHillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in BreechLoading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

Figure l is an elevation of a portion of a gun barrel containing myimprovements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of a vertical section of Fig. 1,taken on a longitudinal line through the hinge of the cover B. Fig. 3 isan elevation of a section of Fig. 1, taken in a bent plane, so as toshow both the. hooks D. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the slidingbreech-plug C. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through thebreech-plug at points x x of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an end view of thebreech-plug. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view-of the part c of thebreech-plug at the points 1 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A represents a part of the breech of the barrel of a gun, and A itsbore. The bore is enlarged behind the line marked by the figures 2 2, toreceive a solid breech-plug, O, which is made to slide in the barrel upto the position shown in the sectional Figs. 2 and 3. An opening is cutin the top of the barrel to the left of a plane passing verticallythrough its axis, for the purpose of introducing the cartridge into itschamber, and this opening is shown in Fig. l as covered by the door B,which is securely hinged, as shown in that figure, and which has a rib,B, on its under side, the continuation of which forms the joint of thecover, and which rib has a hook formed near its end, which engages witha rod, 8, that lies across a depression, B, in the breech-plug, whichreceives the rib B. This rib sets down into a channel, B, in the plug,and thus serves the purpose of a guide for the plug in its movementsinward and outward. This rib is of such a shape that when thebreech-plug is drawn outward it will ride upon the rod 8, and cause thecover B to open and uncover the opening in the barrel for the purpose ofremoving the case of an exploded cartridge and inserting a fresh one.The position of the rod 8, which is firmly secured in the breech-plug,and the shape of the hook on the rib B, must be such that when thebreech-plug is snugly driven home to its seat, the cover B will be drawndown securely into the opening in the barrel, so as there shall not beany leakage.

The breech-plug is madein two sections, 0 and 0, connected together by ascrew-bolt, g, which takes into a screw-thread out within the section 0,the bolt-hole in section Cbeing smooth and somewhat larger than thediameter of the screwbolt, so as to permit section 0 to be separatedslightly from the section 0, as shown in Fig. 4. These sections arejoined by a clutch-joint, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Two sockets areformed in one end of section 0 to receive spring-bolts d, which should,in their normal position, extend across the joint into the end of thehole of pin d in section 0, as shown, so as to prevent the rotation ofthat section. A pin, d, with an enlarged head is fixed in a hole whichpasses through section 0 lengthwise at a point equally distant from thecenter of the axis of the plug, so that one of the sockets in section 0will coincide with the hole in section 0 when the joint is closed, andthe other when it is open. It follows from this that the pin (2 may bepushed inward to drive back one of the spring-bolts at until its pointreaches the joint, when the section 0 may be rotated by turning itshandle 6. A section of a screw, a, is out upon opposite sides of thepart 0, and similar sections of a female screw of the same pitch are outupon the inner periphery of the extreme end of the gun-barrel, thesections being such in width as to allow those on the plug to movebetween the spaces left between those in the barrel, and vice versa.

I secure the hooks D upon opposite sides of the plug, but not in a linepassing through its axis, for the reason that the hook on the hammerside of the barrel is put below that line to make room for the notch inthe barrel, through which the hammer reaches the edge of the cartridge,and which is not shown in the drawings. The hooks are received intosockets in the barrel, in which they fit snugly, as seen in Fig. 3, whenthe plug is driven home.

The shanks of the hooks extend along the face of the plug, as shown inthat figure, and lie in a cavity or groove of the form there shown,

each having an incline, V, upon which the projections seen on the shanksof the hooks neartheir fulcrum-pins strike, and the hooks are therebydrawn away from the sides of the plug toward the barrel. The inner endof the plug is reamed out, as seen in Fig. 2, leaving a rim, n, toenable the flange of the cartridge containing the fulminating materialto lie with in the extended rim of the plug, so as to be protected by iton all sides, except at the point where the rim and a solid part'of theplug are cut away, (notshown in the drawings,) to allow the hammer toreach the flange of the cartridge. The rim of the plug is also cut awayto let the shanks of the hooks coincide with the inner face of the rimof the plug, and thus enable them to embrace the flange of the cartridgesnugly.

The operation of these parts is as follows: The spring-bolt (1 havingbeen pushed forward, the section O is rotated upon its sectionalscrew-thread, and the sect-ions are thereby unlocked from the bolt d,and the joint opened, the rotation being continued until the sectionalscrew-threads are disengaged from each other,when the socket of one ofthe springbolts again coincides with the hole of the pin (2, and thesections of the plug become locked in that position, and the plug can bewithdrawn, and the breech of the gun thereby opened, as beforeexplained, for the insertionof a cartridge. The cartridge havingbeeninserted, the section 0 of the plug is unlocked, and turned, so as itcan be moved endwise toward'the section 0, when the screw-threads becomeengaged, and the plug is driven home, the hooks embracing the flange ofthe car tridge, as shown, and the rod S of the plug drawing the cover Bclose into its opening, when the gun is ready to be fired. The nextwithdrawal of the plug causes the metallic case of the cartridge ;to bewithdrawn from the bore of the gun by the hooks, which release theirgrasp when the inclines V come to act upon the projections of the hooks.

A breech-loading gun with one hook for withdrawing the metallic case ofthe cartridge is described in the patent of John K. Millner,

of February 17, 1863; but it is animperfect invention, for the reasonthat the hook sometimes fails to withdraw the case, both because of themanner of its construction, and because it necessarily seizes the flangeof the case at a disadvantage. My hooks are differently constructed, andby reason of their number are enabled to seize the case at nearlyopposite points of its circumference, and to hold it steadily while itis being drawn from the bore, and to release it suddenly after the plughas completed its movement by reason of the projections t t on thespring-shanks of the hooks striking against the inclined faces V of thebarrel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent--- 1. Making the breech-plug in two sections,substantially as shown-that is to say, connected by an axial screw-bolt,9, upon which the rear section rotates, clamped together by theengagement of the sectional screwthread a on the rear section 0 of theplug, with the corresponding thread in the inside of the box, the rearportion being restrained from rotation in either the firing or theloading position by the engagement of one of the springpins d d with theholes in the sectional plug 0, from which they are driven, when it isrequired to withdraw or drive home the breechplug, by the pin (1.

2. Securing the cover B of the opening in the breech of the gun by meansof its hook and the pin S in the groove of the plug, sub stantially asshown.

3. The method of operating the cartridgecase-retracting hooks D D bymeans of their spring-shanks and the inclines t t on the back of thehooks, and the inclines V V in the bore, so as by the impingement of thesaid inclines to throw back the hooks and release the cartridge-case,substantially as shown and described.

DUSTIN F. MELLEN.

